SENDAI, Japan - Flights to the Japanese coastal city of Sendai are resuming, just over a month after a 32-foot (10-meter) tsunami swamped the runways of its airport.

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Sendai airport staff stood waving on the tarmac Wednesday as passengers emerged from a JAL Express flight. It was the first plane to land since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which swept cars and planes into terminals and turned the area into a muddy wasteland.

The airport is handling only a few daytime flights. Still, its reopening is a boost for recovery efforts in the area, where many communities have been virtually obliterated by the tsunami.

Meanwhile, Japan's leaders are urging citizens to focus on rebuilding despite delays in resolving the country's nuclear crisis.